Various types of tools are used to form wellbores in subterranean formations for recovering hydrocarbons such as oil and gas lying beneath the surface. Examples of such tools include rotary drill bits, hole openers, reamers, and coring bits. Rotary drill bits include, but are not limited to, fixed cutter drill bits, such as polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) drill bits, drag bits, matrix drill bits, rock bits, and roller cone drill bits. A fixed cutter drill bit typically includes multiple blades each having multiple cutting elements, such as the PDC cutting elements on a PDC bit.
In a typical drilling application, a drill bit (either fixed-cutter or rotary cone) is rotated to form a wellbore. The drill bit is coupled, either directly or indirectly to a “drill string,” which includes a series of elongated tubular segments connected end-to-end. An assembly of components, referred to as a “bottom-hole assembly” (BHA) may be connected to the downhole end of the drill string. In the case of a fixed-cutter bit, the diameter of the wellbore formed by the drill bit may be defined by the cutting elements disposed at the largest outer diameter of the drill bit. A drilling tool may include one or more depth of cut controllers (DOCCs). A DOCC is a physical structure configured to (e.g., according to their shape and relative positioning on the drilling tool) control the amount that the cutting elements of the drilling tool cut into or engage a geological formation. A DOCC may provide sufficient surface area to engage with the subterranean formation without exceeding the compressive strength of the formation to take load off of or away from the PDC cutting element limiting their depth or engagement. Conventional DOCCs are fixed on the drilling tool by welding, brazing, or any other suitable attachment method, and are configured to engage with the formation to maintain a pre-determined depth of cut which is determined based on ROP and RPM based on the compressive strength of a given formation.